Archives, Quo Vadis et Cum Quibus?: Archivists’ self-perceptions and perceptions of users of contemporary archives

Abstract

User studies are a rather neglected field in the archival area. This is becoming problematic, as more and more archives are developing online services and collections, becoming available to wider public. We can assume that this transformation will affect archival practice, much like in libraries, and require more knowledge of users’ needs, behavior, and skills. It is unclear how much archivists are aware of these developments. This is particularly the case in those countries where archives have only recently started to consider digitization and online presence and where no user studies have yet been made, like Slovenia (SLO) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH), the focus of this study. A qualitative study is presented which deals with the archivists’ perceptions, within the context of physical and digital archives, of the characteristics of the users, archivists’ educational opportunities regarding user-related issues, and competences needed by professional archivists and by users. Data were collected with interviews and surveys. The results enable an initial insight into archival user types and their characteristics, and the formation of a competence model for a professional archivist. The results have implications for archival theory, practice and education and can also be used in planning future archival user studies.